MUNA Saves The World — And They Can Save Your Spring Quarter Too
MUNA (Photo via BBC)
How could listeners not be enticed with merch that reads “sad soft pop songs for sissies, angry girls, emo queers, and crybabies?” Band members Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson met in 2013 at the University of Southern California. The band initially hoped to write in a progressive rock and punk style but, after their initial collaborations, settled on a glittering, dark electronic pop sound. MUNA’s sound is full of shiny synths and bright drums that set the stage for Gavin’s ethereal voice, and their vulnerability and willingness to display their sensitivity draws fans to this inspirational band.
All three members of the LA-based trio identify as queer but do not wish their band to be reduced only to their queerness. At first, deciding whether they wanted to be “out” as queer was a tough decision for the band. However, reflecting back, they see it as one of the best choices they made. Lead singer Katie Gavin has remarked that being publicly identified as queer is incredibly difficult, regardless of how comfortable you are with your gender and sexuality, because coming out involves unpacking society’s idea of who you are. MUNA hopes that being candid about their queerness will help fans feel more comfortable about their own gender identity and sexuality.
Over seven years since their formation, MUNA has become known as “a band that has opinions,” and they have embraced this to take political stands. Following their 2016 major-label debut with the EP Loudspeaker, the band was known to play gigs wearing homemade “Fuck Trump” T-shirts. In a 2019 interview, lead singer Gavin said:“We’re not interested in being like politicians. We don’t think we can be saved by politicians at the moment. We’re interested in being honest and. . .having a perspective on life and society that is informed by things like trauma.”
The band’s first album About U stressed that the personal is also political, and your individual issues belong to the world too. Their second album, Saves The World, takes the message of About U even further by directly exploring highly personal issues like fighting addiction, contemplating suicide, exploring gender identity, and experiencing assault. However, the album also projects a strong sense of hope. The final track, “It’s Gonna Be Okay, Baby,” shares Gavin's life story with the listener as encouragement to get themselves out of their rut and tell their reflection it will be okay. With packaging that reads “MUNA SAVES THE WORLD,” the album makes light of the band’s reputation for packing complex emotional lyrics into catchy hooks and snare-driven beats.
While MUNA has a knack for writing unskippable records, I find these four songs to be especially empowering and relevant.
First, “I Know a Place” is my personal favorite MUNA song: it talks about finding and cultivating safe spaces despite the nastiness the world can throw at you. The band says that this song is “about the rich LGBTQ history of turning bars and ballrooms into safe-havens.” Following former President Donald Trump’s travel ban in January 2017, lead singer Katie Gavin added an extra lyric to the middle eight of the song: “Even if our skin or Gods look different, I believe all human life is significant / I throw my arms open wide in resistance / He's not my leader even if he's my president.” This was the first MUNA song I ever heard, and these unifying lyrics spoke to me as an identity anthem, with an emphasis on loving one another regardless of and because of our differences.
Meanwhile, as the glossy lead single of Saves The World, “Number One Fan” is about struggling to find yourself in the absence of external validation. The opening lyric “So I heard the bad news / Nobody likes me and I'm gonna die alone” depicts a shattering of adoration. However, in the chorus, Gavin sings out to herself “I would give my life just to hold your hand / I'm your number one fan.” In essence, this track says you need to internalize that you are an amazing person and become your own number one fan.
Thirdly, I want to highlight another older MUNA song, “Crying on the Bathroom Floor.”
From their 2017 debut album About U, “Crying on the Bathroom Floor” song explores the psychological impact of abusive relationships and other sources of trauma. I consider it to be an essential MUNA track because of its dark pop beat, coupled with how the lyrics explore complex situations. The prechorus details traumatic bonding as a reason why many remain unable to identify abuse for what it is: “And I guess that I got rewired / ‘Cause you're cold as ice but it feels like fire... and I don't know why / But when you hurt me I go higher.” By exploring the attachment that survivors in abusive relationships develop with their abusers, this song represents how MUNA strives to portray nuanced situations often not represented in most pop music. On January 20, 2017, MUNA released a tweet about this track, connecting the song’s lyrics to the abusive behavior and actions of former President Trump and calling for resistance. As always, MUNA makes personal experiences political.
“Bodies,” MUNA’s most recent single and collaboration with the Knocks, was written days before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The song, which reminisces about house parties and summer vacation, suddenly took on a new meaning of helplessness and loneliness. Specifically, the chorus reminisces on the shaking floorboards from people singing and dancing at a house party: “But when I feel that resonation / Waving with the weight from / Bodies in the basement.” “Bodies” reminds listeners of the spontaneous times they took for granted before a global pandemic rendered in-person gatherings a rare—if not impossible—occurrence. I recommend this song not only for a dance party, but as a way for you to save your corner of the world, or maybe just spring quarter.
Edited by Nate Culbert, editor of Music You Need To Know
Cover art by Melia Allen